Opiate addiction is the leading cause of death among adults under twenty-four in many regions of the United States. Opiates are powerfully addictive since they bind with greater affinity than the body's natural dopamine. The majority of opiate users today start their addiction with prescription drugs. When they can no longer afford prescription opiates, they often turn to heroin use. According to the Center for Disease Control, 44 Americans die every day in the US from opiates.
Drug overdose is caused by a variety of effects on the body. Opiates slow down breathing, heart rate, and drop blood pressure to fatal levels. The opiate user is impaired and incapable of self-administering antidote such as adrenaline or naloxone. In addition, medical professionals such as physicians and emergency-medical-technicians are often unaware of the causes of the loss of consciousness and may accidentally mis-prescribe the intervention procedure.
Much of the prior art is driven by the desire to deal with chronic conditions, such as diabetes, or constant medication for a given conditioning, in order to reduce the labor associated with repeated regular treatment.
Syringe-based injection systems exist in a variety of applications in the public domain. Bryant Jr et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 9,132,227 describe an infusion pump for the introduction of liquids intravenously. U.S. Pat. No. 9,114,208 describes a medication delivery device with a cartridge system. In U.S. Pat. No. 9,101,707 an implantable delivery system for bio-secretions is disclosed.
The inventors in U.S. Pat. No. 9,095,650 have a precision piston syringe system. In U.S. Pat. No. 9,067,047 a programmable injection system is described by the inventors. These are all developments which seek to attain automation or continuous drug delivery. In U.S. Pat. No. 9,061,097 Holt et al. U.S. Pat. No. 9,061,097 a wearable drug delivery system is described. It has a disposable cartridge system for single dosage use. Chong et al. U.S. Pat. No. 8,979,808 describe an on-body injection device. Sonderger et al. describe a device with a rechargeable syringe delivery system. In another invention in the prior art, Trembly III et al, U.S. Pat. No. 8,747,358 describe an injection system with manual control instead of automation. This allows control by the patient or care giver, especially when the prior is disabled or unable to use a loose syringe.